Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist for civil rights and children's rights. She is the founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Hillary Clinton.

Edelman being the first African-American woman admitted to The Mississippi Bar in 1964, began practising law with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund's Mississippi office, working on racial justice issues related to the civil rights movement and representing activists during the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964.

She founded the Children's Defense Fund as a voice for poor children, children of colour, and children with disabilities in 1973.

The organization has served as an advocacy and research centre for children's issues, documenting the problems and possible solutions for children in need.

She also became active in several school desegregation cases and served on the board of the Child Development Group of Mississippi, which represented one of the largest Head Start programs in the country.

Edelman’s major works included Children Out of School in America: A Report (1974), Portrait of Inequality: Black and White Children in America (1980).

Her honours include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1985) and several humanitarian awards. In 2000 Edelman received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings. Even at the age of 82, she continues to address and speak out about the problems of children being a source of inspiration to many.